The Killer Queen by Noella Briony

Chapter 154

They had all scrambled their way to a position where they were stuck in limbo, neither rising nor falling in the ranks. They had long lost any real interest in putting in an honest day’s work

at the lab!

After punching the clock, they would skedaddle out to fish, play cards, or find some other mischief. Little did they know, their shenanigans were being captured in crystal clear detail!

“You’re invading people’s privacy!” one of them protested.

Mizar just shrugged. “You’re fishing in my pond. I haven’t even billed you for that pleasure. And the card games? They’re held at my own tavern. Tell me, what rules have I broken?”

When the whiz kids from Polaris Star arrived in Emerald County, they embraced the laid–back lifestyle with gusto. They leased a few ponds for casual fishing and bought some storefronts to dabble in business. Before they knew it, they had snapped up an entire block.

And in the process, they also managed to catch Zack and Ryker’s fun–seeking escapades on

camera.

“Speaking of which, you still owe for last month’s card game and yesterday’s fishing. We run a tight ship here, right, Boss?”

“Of course, payment is due.” Noella faced the pair’s panicked attempts to shut down the central monitor with a sneer. “I’ve come to ask Mr. Pollack whether the security network at your lab has fallen so far behind that even experimental data can be intercepted?”

Just minutes ago, her freshly minted experimental data had been pilfered, still warm from the lab!

Turning to Elara with a softened tone, Noella continued, “Ms. Schnabel, have all the recent experimental results from Phoenix Lab been your doing?”

“Yes, it’s all my and my team’s sleepless work, but….” Elara’s face turned ashen, her words trailing off.

The data were hers, but for reasons unknown, they had vanished overnight!

The assistant, indignant on her behalf, chimed in, “Our director Elara hasn’t had a proper night’s sleep in a week, living in the lab, and now the data’s gone.”

Zack fumbled with the controls, trying to stop the endless loop of video on the central screen. As he neared the controller, Noella’s cool, detached voice rang out.

“I’ve forwarded a copy of that video to Mr. Pollack. It’s the full, unedited high–definition version. As for its contents, maybe it’s time to reflect on what you’ve been saying.”

Zack, realizing the gravity of her words, collapsed onto the floor, legs turning to jelly.

What had they been saying?

1/4

11:15

Chapter 154

climbed the ranks on looks alone, lacking any real expertise, and now was probably trying to keep Elara as a… Well, the words they had used were far

Ms. Schnabel claims to have done

lack of data was indeed

to force her out of Phoenix Lab, weren’t

rested her chin on her hand, eyeing Elara with a gleam in her eye. “Ms. Schnabel,

but results without data… they’re useless.” Elara’s expression was tinged with

Lab’s caliber, a single experimental result must be underpinned by countless pieces of validating data.

data from Phoenix

stunned

stolen their colleagues‘ data? In the world of research, this was nothing short

“You’re not even part of our lab.

display. “These two sets of data, one of them was submitted by Ryker, correct? I remember it well; it was from the experiment I conducted half an

with the email

I submitted it. What’s the issue?”

demeanor a mix of contempt and confidence. “The issue is, the results in the email I sent was fake, and you, Ryker, have used this fake results as your own. If the experiment was truly your work, you’d recognize which results were

should yield? How could samples ‘aa‘ and ‘bb‘ possibly produce ‘c‘? Has Phoenix Lab’s staff lost their minds over the last two years, or is it just old age causing forgetfulness?” The sarcasm in her

DIA

11.15

Chaplet 154

palpable.

slick with sweat. “It’s… I forgot… I chose the wrong one. The other

you made your choice?”

other one is

a smile. “And you, Ms.

fixed on the data displayed on the screen, her conviction unwavering. “I choose neither. My data, with minimal error, could not possibly yield these two results. If it were mine, it’d look something

to her by her assistant, Elara quickly jotted down

experiment, she

up her own data. “Roughly, it should look like this. Both sets

Noella’s side, was

asset to research. No wonder these lowlifes wanted her out. With Elara

data. “Coincidentally,